Evening the Playing Field
by Krys33
Summary: What if Luke had relieved his anger in 4:17 without beating up a car? LL, one shot.


A/N: This is a sort of twist on 4:17 (Girls in Bikinis and Boys Doin' the Twist). What if Luke had decided to find a way to relieve his anger rather than beating up a car? It's sort of inspired by a scene in the movie 'Hitch' (hilarious film, by the way). This is L/L, of course. And I threw in a little reference to 'Let Your Balalaikas Ring Out,' just for the hell of it.

This one goes out to, well, everyone who reviewed 'Laughter on the Wind'. Y'all made my day! Twenty-five reviews! That's _incredible_ compared to my other one-shots. So thanks!

--

Luke watched the man's retreating form entering the building after Nicole from his post in his truck. He slammed his fist into the steering wheel, causing the car to emit a loud, long honk.

"Shut up!" Came a faint yell from a nearby apartment.

He placed his elbows atop the wheel and put his face in his hands. How had he screwed this up? What did he do wrong? Sure, he'd avoided her a little bit. Okay, okay. He'd avoided her a lot. But he hadn't _cheated_.

The word finally caught up to him.

_Cheated._ Nicole had _cheated _on him. Even in his head, the word stung.

Luke pounded the horn again, this time with the force of his forehead.

"Shut _up_!"

He sighed. There was nothing he could do here. Quickly, Luke put the truck into gear and pulled away from the curb, watching the townhouse disappear behind him in his rearview mirror.

--

Lorelai stepped inside and noticed the light on her answering machine blinking. Tiredly, she pressed the 'play' button on her way up the stairs. Hearing Luke's voice, though, she whipped around.

"Hey, Lorelai. It's Luke. I need a – a ride." There was some indistinct mumbling. "- corner of Birch and – and, um, 5th Ave. Litchfield." Again, there were some strung together words she couldn't make out. " – you. Bye."

Lorelai listened to the message over three times, trying to understand what was being said beneath the muttering and slurs. Eventually, she made out the location, grabbed her coat, which she'd thrown across the couch, and headed to the Jeep.

She pulled up to the corner in Litchfield to see Luke sitting on a bench, his face in his hands. After taking a moment to assess Luke's situation, she took in the surroundings. Finally, she noticed she was parked in front of the local bar, which seemed to be pretty busy.

Lorelai exited her car, crossed the street, and approached Luke slowly. She took a seat next to him on the bench. Softly, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Luke?"

All she said was his name, but he could hear the underlying 'What's wrong?' in her voice. He looked up at her, eyes bloodshot. "I didn't think I should drive."

She nodded, being able to smell the alcohol on his breath. "Good choice. Let's get you to the car." Lorelai looped her arm firmly around Luke and helped him to his feet. He leaned on her unsteadily, draping his arm around her shoulders for support.

They made their was slowly across the street. The only minor incident was trying to get Luke to step up onto the curb so she could get him into the passenger side door. He tripped on the concrete edge, falling into Lorelai's chest. Even though he was drunk, he could still realize the awkwardness of the situation. He quickly pulled away and managed so make the step up.

Once in the car, Luke slouched slightly in the seat and leaned his head back. Lorelai took her seat and looked over at Luke. She rolled her eyes slightly before leaning across him to grab the seat belt. His head shot up as he felt the sudden weight across his chest.

"Relax." She told him, feeling him tense. Pulling away, she deftly snapped the seat belt in place. Lorelai buckled her own before pulling out.

After they had gotten on the highway, Lorelai spoke, keeping her eyes on the road. "So, what – what happened?"

Luke took a deep breath. "Nicole." He answered simply.

Lorelai paused for a moment, debating whether or not to reply. "What about her?"

"I saw her tonight."

She raised an eyebrow. Luke smiled slightly at this look of confusion.

"With a man." He explained.

Lorelai gave a knowing nod. "I'm sorry." She told him genuinely.

Luke sighed, looking down into his lap. "Me too."

--

Lorelai parked in front of the diner. After unbuckling her own seat belt, she reached over to help Luke. It was his turn to roll his eyes. "I can do it myself."

She raised her hands in surrender. "Okay."

As Luke undid his seat belt, Lorelai walked around the Jeep and helped him climb out, trying to avoid another curb incident. Slurring slightly, Luke told Lorelai where the spare key was. Using one hand to help him stay upright, she reached the other above the doorframe and grabbed the key. After a bit of maneuvering, she managed to unlock the door while balancing Luke's weight.

Lorelai helped him inside and locked the door behind her, figuring that the stairs might take awhile.

She was right.

Making it up the steps was slow going. About ten minutes later, they had finally reached the top of the staircase.

Lorelai walked him inside and, hiding her slight discomfort at the awkwardness of the situation, helped Luke out of his clothes. His current state made unbuttoning a nightmare.

She assisted him into bed and pulled the blankets over him. Assuming he was asleep, she removed the keys and wallet from his jeans pocket and folded his abandoned clothes neatly on the couch, setting his hat atop the pile. Lorelai crossed the kitchen and filled a glass with water. She then placed it on the bedside table next to the alarm clock with some aspirin she discovered in the bathroom cabinet, knowing he'd need it when he woke up.

Lorelai took a moment to watch Luke sleep. He really did look quite peaceful. She reached down and brushed his hair away from his face. After a second of hesitation, she leaned down and lightly kissed his forehead.

The sound of his voice startled her, but the words were kind. "Thank you." Luke whispered.

Lorelai smiled slightly, still bent over the bed. "Anytime." She whispered back to him. "Anytime."

Quietly, she shut off the kitchen light and headed for the door. Halfway out, Lorelai looked back over her shoulder at Luke's sleeping form. She gave one last smile and blew a kiss she knew he wouldn't see before shutting the door.

--

Back home, Lorelai lay awake in bed. It had surprised her how vulnerable Luke had been. How helpless.

But somehow it was a relief. She was glad, sort of, to know that he wasn't completely flawless. To know that he wasn't Superman. It made him seem… more approachable, somehow. Like maybe she wasn't such a burden; that she could give back what he gave to her sometimes.

She'd always felt that she was somehow part of the family he always complained about, screwing up and coming to him for help. And every time, she thought in the back of her mind that he'd just give up one of these days. That she'd come crying to him, and he'd tell her 'Sorry, can't help you this time.'

But that day never came.

And Lorelai fell asleep, thinking that she'd come a little closer to evening the playing field.

--

-The End-

Reviews always welcome!


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